Tissue interactions mediate early events in pulmonary vasculogenesis.

Extensive study has provided considerable insight into the mechanisms governing branching morphogenesis and developmental maturation of the pulmonary epithelium. The process by which the vascular tree arises in the mesodermal mesenchyme of the developing lung, however, is not known. Because normal epithelial branching and differentiation have been shown to be dependent on interactions with the lung mesenchyme, we hypothesized that the developing pulmonary vasculature is dependent on a reciprocal interaction with pulmonary epithelium. In this study we have defined the temporal and spatial expression of flk-1 mRNA, which encodes an endothelial cell-specific vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor, in fetal and neonatal rat lung. Flk-1-positive cells were observed in the lung at every prenatal stage from fetal day 11 through birth, demonstrating that vascularization has been initiated as soon as the lung evaginates from the foregut epithelium. The spatial distribution of vascular precursors was distinct and consistent in early lung (fetal days 11-16): clusters of flk-1-positive cells were localized in the mesenchyme closely apposed to the developing epithelium. This spatial relationship between vascular precursors and the developing epithelium suggested that vascular development in the lung may be dependent on interactions between the two tissue types. To investigate this possibility, day-13 distal lung mesenchyme was cultured in the presence and absence of lung epithelium. Lung mesenchyme cultured in the absence of epithelium degenerated significantly, and few flk-1-positive cells were maintained. In contrast, lung mesenchyme recombined with lung epithelium contained abundant flk-1-positive cells, and their spatial distribution mimicked that observed in vivo. These studies provide the first detailed information regarding the temporal and spatial pattern of pulmonary vascularization in early development and suggest that tissue interactions play an important role in growth and maintenance of the developing lung vasculature.     

Mesenchymal expression of vascular endothelial growth factors D and A defines vascular patterning in developing lung.

The lung has specific vascular patterning requirements for effective gas exchange at birth, including alignment of airways and blood vessels and lymphatic vessels. Vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGF) are potent effectors of vascular development. We examined the temporal and spatial expression of VEGF-D and specific VEGF-A isoforms at each stage of lung development. VEGF-D, expressed only by cadherin-11-positive cells of the mesenchyme, is first detected at embryonic day (E) 13.5, a period of active vasculogenesis. VEGFR-3, its cognate receptor, is detected earlier on days E11.5 to E14.5, in both blood vessels and lymphatic vessels and later, on day E17.5, in only lymphatic vessels. VEGF-A is expressed in the mesenchyme throughout lung development and also by the epithelium midway through organogenesis. Before E14, the predominant forms of VEGF-A are the soluble isoforms, VEGF-A120 and 164. Not until E14.5 do epithelial cells at the tips of expanding airways express VEGF-A, including VEGF-A188, an isoform with high affinity for extracellular matrix. Our results demonstrate unique temporal and spatial expression of VEGF-D and specific VEGF-A isoforms during lung development and suggest these related factors have distinct functions in vascular and lymphatic patterning of the lung.     

Endothelium-specific Cre recombinase activity in flk-1-Cre transgenic mice.

The use of the Cre-loxP recombination system allows the conditional inactivation of genes in mice. The availability of transgenic mice in which the Cre recombinase expression is highly cell type specific is a prerequisite to successfully use this system. We previously have characterized regulatory regions of the mouse flk-1 gene sufficient for endothelial cell-specific expression of the LacZ reporter gene in transgenic mice. These regions were fused to the Cre recombinase gene, and transgenic mouse lines were generated. In the resulting flk-1-Cre transgenic mice, specificity of Cre activity was determined by cross-breeding with the reporter mouse lines Rosa26R or CAG-CAT-LacZ. We examined double-transgenic mice at different stages of embryonic development (E9.5-E16.5) and organs of adult animals by LacZ staining. Strong endothelium-specific staining of most vascular beds was observed in embryos older than E11.5 in one or E13.5 in a second line. In addition, the neovasculature of experimental BFS-1 tumors expressed the transgene. These lines will be valuable for the conditional inactivation of floxed target genes in endothelial cells of the embryonic vascular system.     

牛磺酸对大鼠肢体缺血再灌注后肺损伤时细胞凋亡的影响

目的:从细胞凋亡的角度探讨肢体缺血再灌注(LIR)后急性肺损伤(ALI)的发病机制及牛磺酸的影响。方法:复制大鼠肢体缺血再灌注(LIR)损伤动物模型,采用TUNEL法、电泳法、半定量逆转录聚合酶链反应(SqRT-PCR)及免疫组织化学等技术观察LIR后肺损伤发生过程中,肺泡上皮及血管内皮细胞凋亡变化以及Fas/FasL系统蛋白质和mRNA表达的改变。结果:大鼠LIR后,肺泡上皮细胞和肺血管内皮细胞凋亡明显增加;肺组织Fas/FasLmRNA和蛋白质表达明显上调,DNA断链率、组织钙含量和活性氧(ROS)升高,且与肺泡上皮及血管内皮细胞凋亡的增加相一致。结论:肺泡上皮及血管内皮细胞凋亡以及Fas/FasL系统表达明显上调可能参与LIR后ALI的发生;牛磺酸可减少肺组织细胞凋亡,但并非通过影响Fas/FasL基因表达而实现其保护效应。     

IL-1beta disrupts postnatal lung morphogenesis in the mouse

Pulmonary inflammation and increased production of the inflammatory cytokine IL-1beta are associated with the development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in premature infants. To study the actions of IL-1beta in the fetal and newborn lung in vivo, we developed a bitransgenic mouse in which IL-1beta is expressed under conditional control in airway epithelial cells. Perinatal pulmonary expression of IL-1beta caused respiratory insufficiency that was associated with increased postnatal mortality. While intrauterine growth of IL-1beta-expressing mice was normal, their postnatal growth was impaired. IL-1beta disrupted alveolar septation and caused abnormalities in alpha-smooth muscle actin and elastin deposition in the septa of distal airspaces. IL-1beta disturbed capillary development and inhibited the production of vascular endothelial growth factor in the lungs of infant mice. IL-1beta induced the expression of CXC chemokines KC (CXCL1) and macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (CXCL2) and of CC chemokines monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP)-1 (CCL2) and MCP-3 (CCL7), consistent with neutrophilic and monocytic infiltration of the lungs. IL-1beta caused goblet cell metaplasia and bronchial smooth muscle hyperplasia. Perinatal expression of IL-1beta in epithelial cells of the lung caused a lung disease that was clinically and histologically similar to BPD.     

Spatially restricted patterning cues provided by heparin-binding VEGF-A control blood vessel branching morphogenesis

Branching morphogenesis in the mammalian lung and Drosophila trachea relies on the precise localization of secreted modulators of epithelial growth to select branch sites and direct branch elongation, but the intercellular signals that control blood vessel branching have not been previously identified. We found that VEGF(120/120) mouse embryos, engineered to express solely an isoform of VEGF-A that lacks heparin-binding, and therefore extracellular matrix interaction domains, exhibited a specific decrease in capillary branch formation. This defect was not caused by isoform-specific differences in stimulating endothelial cell proliferation or by impaired isoform-specific signaling through the Nrp1 receptor. Rather, changes in the extracellular localization of VEGF-A in heparin-binding mutant embryos resulted in an altered distribution of endothelial cells within the growing vasculature. Instead of being recruited into additional branches, nascent endothelial cells were preferentially integrated within existing vessels to increase lumen caliber. The disruption of the normal VEGF-A concentration gradient also impaired the directed extension of endothelial cell filopodia, suggesting that heparin-binding VEGF-A isoforms normally provide spatially restricted stimulatory cues that polarize and thereby guide sprouting endothelial cells to initiate vascular branch formation. Consistent with this idea, we found opposing defects in embryos harboring only a heparin-binding isoform of VEGF-A, including excess endothelial filopodia and abnormally thin vessel branches in ectopic sites. We conclude that differential VEGF-A isoform localization in the extracellular space provides a control point for regulating vascular branching pattern.     

Developmental changes in tropoelastin gene expression in the rat lung studied by in situ hybridization.

Gene expression for tropoelastin, the proprotein for elastin, was examined in the rat lung from 17 days of gestation (pseudoglandular stage) to adulthood by in situ hybridization using a rat-specific 35S-radiolabeled riboprobe. The tropoelastin message was present in vascular and airway smooth muscle, endothelial, septal interstitial, alveolar wall, and mesothelial cells but not in epithelial cells. With alveolar septal formation, the message in the interstitium increased progressively from 17 days of gestation, reaching a peak at 7 to 11 days postnatal. The signal in the arterial walls, in contrast, peaked between 19 days of gestation to 1 day postnatal and thereafter declined first from the outer media. The signal in general declined significantly by 21 days postnatal, and elastogenesis was virtually absent in the adult. These results support the idea that tropoelastin gene expression in the interstitium is closely associated with the centripetal progression of alveolarization, and the early postnatal decrease of tropoelastin expression in blood vessels corresponds with the sudden postnatal changes in the pulmonary hemodynamics. Furthermore, in the rat fetus and neonate, endothelial cells expressed the gene for tropoelastin and hence probably play a significant role in the formation of internal elastic lamina in vivo.     

A flk-1 promoter/enhancer reporter transgenic Xenopus laevis generated using the Sleeping Beauty transposon system: an in vivo model for vascular studies.

We have used the Sleeping Beauty (SB) transposable element to generate transgenic Xenopus laevis with expression of green fluorescent protein (GFP) in vascular endothelial cells using the frog flk-1 promoter. This is the first characterization of a SB-generated transgenic Xenopus that has tissue-restricted expression. We demonstrate that the transgene integrated into single genomic loci in two independent founder lines and is transmitted through the germline at the expected Mendelian frequencies. Transgene integration occurred through a noncanonical transposition process possibly reflecting Xenopus-specific interactions with the SB system. The transgenic animals express GFP in the same spatial and temporal pattern as the endogenous flk-1 gene throughout development and into adulthood. Overexpression of xVEGF122 in the transgenic animals disrupts vascular development that is visualized by fluorescent microscopy. These studies demonstrate the convenience of the SB system for generating transgenic animals and the utility of the xflk-1:GFP transgenic line for in vivo studies of vascular development.     

Expression of leucocyte–endothelial adhesion molecules is limited to intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in the lung of pneumoconiotic patients: role of tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α)

Coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP) is characterized by a chronic inflammatory lung reaction associated with macrophage accumulation in alveolar spaces. In this study, we investigated in CWP the implication of adhesion molecules such as E-selectin, ICAM-1 and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and the role of TNF-α which is one of the cytokines inducing their expression. Adhesion molecule expression was analysed by immunohistochemistry on lung biopsies from patients with CWP and from healthy subjects. In parallel, soluble adhesion molecules were detected in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids (BALF) from patients by specific ELISA. The involvement of TNF in the induction of these adhesion molecules was measured (i) by immunohistochemistry on sections from lung fragments, and (ii) by evaluating in vitro the expression of adhesion molecules on endothelial cells and on alveolar epithelial cells in the presence of alveolar macrophage supernatants. In control subjects, a weak staining of ICAM-1 was detected only in alveolar walls, while E-selectin and VCAM-1 were undetectable. In pneumoconiotic patients, ICAM-1 was expressed at a high level by endothelium, by alveolar and bronchial epithelial cells and by alveolar macrophages. E-selectin and VCAM-1 expression remained undetectable. Measurement of soluble adhesion molecule showed that only the concentration of sICAM-1 was significantly increased in BALF from patients with CWP compared with controls. The involvement of TNF in this ICAM-1 expression was shown by the in vitro effect of alveolar macrophage supernatants on adhesion molecule expresssion by endothelial cells and epithelial cells (this effect was neutralized by anti-TNF antibodies) and by the increased production of TNF in the lung of pneumoconiotic patients. These data provide evidence for the involvement of ICAM-1, induced at least in part by alveolar macrophage-derived TNF, in the development of the inflammatory reaction in CWP.     

Qualitative and quantitative analysis of embryonic pulmonary vessel formation

Vessel formation in the lung has been described as occurring by two mechanisms: proximal, or branch, pulmonary arteries develop via angiogenesis; and distal, smaller vessels form by vasculogenesis. Connections between the proximal and distal vessels establish the final vascular network. The preponderance of vessel formation has been suspected to occur during the canalicular stage of lung development. To test these hypotheses, reporter gene expression under control of the regulatory domain of fetal liver kinase-1 (flk), an early endothelial cell-specific marker, was used to evaluate mouse lungs from embryonic day 10.5 (E10.5) through 2 wk postnatal age. Morphologic assessment was performed after histochemical staining, and quantification of vessel development by a chemiluminescent assay was compared with overall embryonic lung growth. LacZ expression under flk promoter control allowed: (1) early identification of differentiating endothelial cells of the branch pulmonary arteries; (2) visualization of distal vessels forming in the lung mesenchyme (primary capillary network) with subsequent remodeling; (3) recognition of early continuity between proximal and distal vessels, occurring by E10.5; and (4) assessment of developing pulmonary veins and venous confluence. Quantitative analysis revealed increased flk regulated beta-galactosidase (beta-gal) activity of 12 ng beta-gal/lung at E12.5 to 3,215 ng beta-gal/lung at 2 wk, which corresponded to overall lung growth during this period as shown by an increase in total protein content per lung from 35 microg at E12.5 to 6,456 microg at 2 wk after birth. We identified endothelial cell precursors of the developing pulmonary vasculature before vessel lumen formation. Continuity between the proximal pulmonary artery and vessels forming in the distal mesenchyme was present even at the earliest stage evaluated, suggesting endothelial cell differentiation at the site of vessel formation (i.e., vasculogenesis) as occurs with development of the aorta. Finally, we demonstrated that lung vessel development was not accentuated during the canalicular stage, but occurred at all stages and directly corresponded to overall lung growth.     

Hypoxia increases VEGF-A production by prostate cancer and bone marrow stromal cells and initiates paracrine activation of bone marrow endothelial cells

Hypoxia develops at sites of rapid cancer growth near sites of poorly organized vasculature. Heparin binding growth factors (HBGFs) support neoangiogenesis of tumors. We examined the effect of culturing bone-targeted, metastatic C4-2B prostate cancer cells and bone stromal derived HS27a cells under hypoxic conditions on expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) family members. A sealed chamber infused with 1% (hypoxic) or 20% (normoxic) O(2) was used. Both cell lines produced VEGF-A in normoxia, but little or no HB-EGF, another HBGF. HS27a cells produced low levels of FGF-2 and HGF, but little or none was secreted by C4-2B cells. Levels of VEGF-A in conditioned medium (CM) from both cell lines doubled when cultured in hypoxia. Similar changes in VEGF-A mRNA levels were seen. Receptor expression was unchanged by hypoxia. Changes in VEGF-A expression during hypoxia were preceded by nuclear accumulation of hypoxia inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha). Bone marrow endothelial (BME) cells express high levels of VEGFR2/flk-1, and are targets of VEGF-A induced neovascularization. BME cells proliferated in response to treatment with HS27a CM, but not C4-2B CM. BME cells formed tube-like angiogenic structures on growth factor reduced Matrigel in response to CM from HS27a or C4-2B cells. This response was greater when CM was produced under hypoxia, and was reduced by VEGF-A or FGF-2 neutralizing antibodies. We conclude that hypoxia triggers a physiologically relevant increase in VEGF-A by prostate cancer and bone marrow stromal cells which involves a paracrine loop that recruits and activates BME to support tumor neovascularization-related processes.     

犬慢性肺缺血再灌注损伤的病理形态学观察

目的 研究犬慢性缺血再灌注肺损伤的病理形态学改变。方法 利用4只杂种犬建立慢性肺缺血再灌注实验模型，在光镜和电镜下观察慢性缺血期和再灌注期肺组织病理形态学改变，计算受损肺泡百分率。结果 缺血期：左肺部分区域灶性肺泡出血及肺泡膨胀不全，部分肺泡上皮细胞及肺血管内皮细胞线粒体空泡化、嵴溶解，同例对照右肺正常；再灌注期：左肺肺泡出血加重，肺间质和肺泡腔内有水肿液，肺血管内中性粒细胞聚集，受损肺泡百分率明显增加，部分肺泡上皮细胞和肺血管内皮细胞线粒体空泡化、嵴溶解加重，并出现肺泡上皮细胞坏死，同例右肺较左侧病变轻。结论 肺组织缺血期损伤不明显，再灌注期出现比较明显的肺损伤。     

Glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor expression in normal human lung and congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation

CONTEXT: It has been recently suggested that dysregulation of developmental factors and disruption of cell turnover could play a role in the pathogenesis of congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation of the lung (CCAM). The glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) is a growth factor involved in organogenesis, and the temporal pattern of GDNF expression suggests that this factor may play a role in lung development. DESIGN: We studied GDNF expression by immunohistochemistry in postnatally resected CCAM of the lung (n = 10), normal fetal lung (n = 5), and normal postnatal lung (n = 5). We also studied the association between GDNF expression and both cell proliferation and apoptosis. RESULTS: GDNF was expressed in both epithelial and endothelial compartments of normal fetal lung, whereas no expression was found in normal postnatal lung. In contrast, in CCAM tissue, there was strong GDNF immunostaining that was restricted to epithelial cells. The percentage of proliferating epithelial cells was higher in CCAM tissue than in normal postnatal lung (6.3% vs 1.7%, P <.005). Apoptotic bodies were found in the mesenchyme of both normal fetal lung and CCAM tissue, whereas virtually no apoptotic bodies were detected in normal postnatal lung. CONCLUSIONS: Abnormal GDNF expression in CCAM suggests a dysregulation of the GDNF signaling pathway and argues in favor of a focal arrest in maturation during development. GDNF expression in lung tissue seems to be correlated with cell proliferation, suggesting that this factor could play a role in the growth of both fetal lung and CCAM.     

NF-κB在大鼠急性肺损伤模型肺组织中的表达及N-乙酰半胱氨酸的影响

目的 :检测NF κB在LPS诱导的急性肺损伤 (ALI)肺组织中的表达 ,以及N 乙酰半胱氨酸 (NAC)对ALI的抑制作用。方法 :采用免疫组化染色 (ABC法 )和Westernblot,检测NF κB在急性肺损伤大鼠气道和肺组织中的表达 ,以及NAC干预后活性NF κB表达的变化。结果 :正常对照组大鼠气道黏膜上皮和肺间质中 ,仅见少量散在的NF κB核阳性细胞 ;而LPS诱导ALI后 ,气道黏膜、肺间质、肺泡腔及血管内皮细胞中NF κB核阳性的细胞明显增多 (P <0 .0 1)。NF κB核阳性反应细胞主要为气道黏膜上皮细胞、浸润的炎症细胞、肺泡上皮细胞和血管内皮细胞。NAC治疗组NF κB核阳性细胞较LPS诱导的ALI组及对照组均明显减少 (P <0 .0 1)。Westernblot的结果显示 ,LPS诱导的ALI后不同时间点 ,NF κB的表达不同 ,于急性肺损伤 3h达高峰。各时间点NF κB的表达均较正常对照组高。结论 :LPS诱发的大鼠急性肺损伤的气道和肺组织内NF κB的表达增加 ,肺组织内的多数细胞参与了NF κB的激活。NAC可通过抑制NF κB的激活减轻急性肺损伤的炎症程度     

A novel method for isolating individual cellular components from the adult human distal lung

A variety of lung diseases, such as pulmonary emphysema and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, develop in the lung alveoli. Multiple cell types are localized in the alveoli, including epithelial, mesenchymal, and endothelial cells. These resident cells participate in the pathogenesis of lung disease in various ways. To elaborate clearly on the mechanisms of these pathologic processes, cell type-specific analyses of lung disease are required. However, no method exists for individually isolating the different types of cells found in the alveoli. We report on the development of a FACS-based method for the direct isolation of individual cell types from the adult human distal lung. We obtained human lung tissue from lung resections, and prepared single-cell suspension. After depleting CD45-positive cells, a combination of antibodies against epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM), T1α, and vascular endothelial (VE)-cadherin as used to delineate alveolar cell types. Alveolar Type II cells were highly purified in the EpCAM(hi)/T1α(-) subset, whereas the EpCAM(+)/T1α(-/low) subset contained a mixed epithelial population consisting of alveolar Type I and bronchiolar epithelial cells. The EpCAM(-)/T1α(-) subset included both microvascular endothelial and mesenchymal cells, and these were separated by immunoreactivity to VE-cadherin. Lymphatic endothelial cells existed in the EpCAM(-)/T1α(hi) subset. Isolated cells were viable, and further cell culture studies could be performed. These results suggest that this novel method enables the isolation of different cellular components from normal and diseased lungs, and is capable of elucidating phenotypes specific to certain alveolar cell types indicative of lung disease.     

Coexpression of Aspartic Proteinases and Human Leukocyte Antigen-DR in Human Transplanted Lung

Aspartic proteinases have recently been shown to be implicated in antigen processing. We explored the expression of two aspartic proteinases, cathepsins E and D, and of human leukocyte antigen-DR (HLA-DR) molecules in a consecutive series of 80 transbronchial biopsies from transplanted lungs. For controls, we studied five normal donor lungs (not suitable for transplantation on account of thoracic trauma) and macroscopically normal areas of three cancer-affected lungs. Two of the five unsuitable donor lungs showed minimal inflammatory changes. Macroscopically normal samples from the three cancerous lungs showed mild and focal inflammatory infiltrates. In histologically normal lungs, HLA-DR expression was limited to professional antigenpresenting cells. Macroscopically normal lung samples with minimal inflammatory changes from both donor and cancer lungs showed variable HLA-DR expression by alveolar and bronchial epithelial cells and by endothelial cells. All transplanted lung biopsies showed HLA-DR expression by epithelial (alveolar and bronchial) and endothelial cells, with a trend for increased positivity in acute rejection. Cathepsin E was restricted to Clara and to rare bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue-related epithelial cells in histologically normal lung samples, whereas minimal de novo cathepsin E expression by rare alveolar pneumocytes was noted in control lung samples exhibiting minimal inflammatory changes. In all transplanted lung biopsies, cathepsin E was diffusely expressed de novo by hyperplastic alveolar epithelial cells, regardless of the presence or degree of rejection. Cathepsin D was expressed only by alveolar macrophages and by ciliated bronchial cells of normal, minimally inflamed, and transplanted lungs. In transplanted lung, Clara cells and several hyperplastic alveolar pneumocytes coexpressed HLA-DR and cathepsin E, whereas all alveolar macrophages and a few ciliated cells coexpressed cathepsin D and HLA-DR The present investigation suggests that the de novo expression of cathepsin E and HLA-DR by hyperplastic alveolar pneumocytes of transplanted lung may be crucial for antigen processing and presentation to recipient competent T cells, and thus for the triggering of the immune-inflammatory cascade that leads to rejection.     

Role for ephrinB2 in postnatal lung alveolar development and elastic matrix integrity

Alveoli are formed in the lung by the insertion of secondary tissue folds, termed septa, which are subsequently remodeled to form the mature alveolar wall. Secondary septation requires interplay between three cell types: endothelial cells forming capillaries, contractile interstitial myofibroblasts, and epithelial cells. Here, we report that postnatal lung alveolization critically requires ephrinB2, a ligand for Eph receptor tyrosine kinases expressed by the microvasculature. Mice homozygous for the hypomorphic knockin allele ephrinB2DeltaV/DeltaV, encoding mutant ephrinB2 with a disrupted C-terminal PDZ interaction motif, show severe postnatal lung defects including an almost complete absence of lung alveoli and abnormal and disorganized elastic matrix. Lung alveolar formation is not sensitive to loss of ephrinB2 cytoplasmic tyrosine phosphorylation sites. Postnatal day 1 mutant lungs show extracellular matrix alterations without differences in proportions of major distal cell populations. We conclude that lung alveolar formation relies on endothelial ephrinB2 function.